What is a Family?
by all kings and lionhearts
Summary: Hope and Arthur are alive and back. It may bring a lot of changes in Amy and Dan's lives. When tragedy strikes, will that be enough to pull them together? Originally for SG's contest.
1. We're Back: Part One

**Hey, y'all! I'm a new timer here and this is my first fic! Ooh, and visit my profile!**

**Time for the Disclaimer!**

**Me: Agent-CherryGarcia212 owns nothing but the plot. *Sighs***

**Dan Cahill: Haha! I laugh at you! *Points***

**Me: Shut up.**

**Dan: Make me.**

**Me: *Pushes sleeves up and takes step forward***

**Dan: *Yelps* Okay, okay! Sheesh.**

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><p>Chapter One<p>

Dan's POV

I was sitting at the breakfast counter, trying to figure out what to do. Nellie was trying a new recipe, Amy and Fiske were at some Father-Daughter picnic at Amy's school, and Saladin was stalking a bird in the backyard. I was bored. Incredibly bored. It was Saturday morning. There was nothing good on TV, I wasn't hungry, and I didn't feel like video games. What I _wanted _to do was practice my ninja moves, but Fiske outlawed it after I broke the china cabinet last week. Even though it totally wasn't my fault. The cabinet simply was not placed in the smartest location and got in my way. Really, they should just be grateful I wasn't barefoot, or the wreckage would have torn my foot up.

"_Nellie,_" I whined, stretching her name out as far as possible. It didn't matter. She was listening to her iPod, and I wasn't even sure she knew I was in the kitchen.

I considered doing my homework, then quickly vetoed it. I wasn't _that_ bored. _Maybe I could hang out in the backyard with Saladin,_ I thought. Then I shook my head. The last time I had interrupted Saladin's bird stalking time, he nearly took my finger off. Now I _know_ I've got no social life.

The doorbell rang.

"Nellie," I said pointedly. She didn't hear me. _Of course_, I thought as I slid off my stool, and went to get the door.

I flung it open, and saw a man and a woman standing on the porch. The woman was wearing a huge sun hat that shaded most of her face and short hair that was cut close to her chin. I couldn't tell the color because the hat was shading it, too, making it look almost black. The man had a simple Boston Red Sox baseball cap that shaded only his eyes. I could see salt-and-pepper hair from under it. The dude looked a little familiar. _Must be one of Fiske's friends_, I decided, since the man was too old to be one of Nellie's. But something kept tugging at my mind. I shrugged it off.

"Uh, do you want to see Fiske? 'Cause, he's not here right now, but he should be back in 20 minutes. You can wait for him on the porch." I gestured to the porch furniture.

They looked at each other, then sat down on a couch. I reclined on the other one, figuring I may as well wait with them.

The people were speaking quietly, like they were trying to decide on something. I ignored them, and tried to ignore the thoughts tugging at my brain, yet refusing to be known.

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><p>Amy's POV<p>

I was sitting in Fiske's car, thinking about the fun we had at the picnic. Fiske had become an entirely different person during the 3-legged race.

Fiske stopped at the edge of our driveway to pick up the mail and I stared out the window. Suddenly, I froze. Sitting on the porch were Dan and two strangers. _Wait,_ my brain said, _the man isn't a stranger. _I blinked. Sure enough, I recognized him. _Dad. _As Fiske started going up the driveway, all common-sense flew from my mind. I opened the door and jumped out of the car while it was still moving.

"Amy!" I heard Fiske shout, but I ignored him. I stumbled and tripped, but the closer I got to the porch, the more sure I was the man was my father. I got up and ran to the porch. Dad stood up and I flung myself into his arms. He squeezed me tight. I was crying.

Suddenly, something occurred to me. If Dad was here, was Mom? I looked around. Dan was standing at the end of the porch, and seemed shell-shocked. I turned my head. The lady with the sun hat had taken it off and was crying. _Mom. _I pulled her into our hug. We stood in a knot for a while, when I remembered Dan. I looked around. He was blinking. Suddenly, he ran around us and into the house.

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><p><strong>Sorry for the shortness. I'll try and update again this week. This was originally for SG's contest, but took to long to write. Sorry for possible OOCness.<strong>

**Please review! Go easy on me!**


	2. We're Back: Part Two

**I'm back! And I've only got one review (Thank you Luv the Legend!)! But don't worry, I'll try not to feel personally insulted. Time for the disclaimer!**

**Me: I still own nothing, but the general plot!**

**Dan: *Opens mouth to say something***

**Me: And if Dan knows what's good for him, he'll say nothing!**

**Dan: *Closes mouth***

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><p>Amy's POV<p>

"Dan!" I yelled. I pulled away from my parents and ran into the house.

I ran upstairs to his bedroom and opened the door. He was sitting very still on his bed, facing the window. Softly, I closed the door, and walked over to him. He didn't turn around, so I sat next to him on the bed and put my arm around his shoulders. Dan took a shaky breath.

"Dan?" I said quietly. He continued staring straight ahead and still wouldn't look at me.

"Amy," he said softly, now looking down at his hands. "Did they _abandon_ us?"

I gasped, and tried to think of a truthful answer. But I couldn't. I didn't know any details yet. So I shrugged, and said, "I really don't know. They just came back."

"Well, it _feels _like they did," Dan said bitterly. But I noticed it wasn't regular bitterness. It was the kind of bitterness that you speak in when you're trying hard not to cry.

We sat in silence for what seemed like a long time. I heard the door open.

"Kiddos?" Nellie called quietly. I craned my neck to look at her. She looked upset. "Can you guys come down to the living room in 5 minutes? We're going to talk." I nodded at her, and she left the room.

"Dan," I whispered.

"I heard," he said. He pulled away from me and left his room, probably to go wash his face.

I sat down on his floor and waited. Dan walked past the door. "It's time, Amy," he said. His face was blank, and he walked downstairs. I sighed, and followed him.

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><p>Dan's POV<p>

I was sitting on one of the couches downstairs, with Amy and Nellie on either side of me. Amy still looked stunned. Nellie just looked upset. I figured she must already know the story, which made me feel kind of mad. Shouldn't Amy and I learn what happened first? On the other couch were my parents. Uncle Fiske was sitting in an armchair. He looked grim.

"Dan, Amy," Fiske started. He took a deep breath, and continued. "These are your parents. I'll let them explain." We all looked at them. Mom looked at me and a line of worry creased her forehead. She bit her lip. She looked down, and Dad started talking.

"It started on the night of the fire. We had passed out from smoke inhalation and were rescued by Madrigal agents. We woke up in a Madrigal stronghold 2 days later. Apparently, Madrigals had been watching our home at the first sign of trouble. They found out that Isabel Kabra was the one who had set the fire, with the intention to kill us _all_. Even though we were given the decision to stay or to take the risks and go back, we decided to stay, to protect you. We were told the best time to leave would be once the Cahills, Isabel and Cora Wizard especially, were no longer a threat."

"So when we found out that the Clue Hunt was finished, _and_ Isabel was in jail, we were relived. We were also overjoyed that you were still children and still _alive_," Mom broke in. "We figured we could come back and see you immediately. But it was more complicated than that. We had to help, and weren't able to get back till today." She looked at Amy and me. "No one, not even Grace, knew we were still alive. It was too dangerous."

I felt dizzy, and tried to stand. My mouth tasted like pennies. **(A/N: My mouth really does taste like pennies when I feel like throwing up. Don't know if it's common, though.)**

"I don't feel good," I mumbled. "I'm going to bed."

"But, Dan, it's not even one yet," Nellie protested. I shrugged, and walked toward the stairs.

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><p>Amy's POV<p>

I stared at Dan as he left the room. Then I looked at my parents. _My parents_. The same ones I thought were dead for almost eight years. I suddenly realized how Dan was feeling. I looked back towards the hall, like I was hoping Dan would reappear. I don't know how long I was looking at it, but suddenly I felt someone hug me. I turned and saw Nellie's face. The living room was empty.

"Why don't you go talk to Dan?" Nellie suggested. I nodded, and hugged Nellie back, then went up the stairs.

I was standing at the door to Dan's room. Taking a deep breath, I opened it and looked into his room. He was curled up in bed, facing away from me. The curtains were drawn, but there was still light in the room.

I walked over to his bed and sat down next to him.

"Dan?" I whispered.

"Amy?" He turned over and looked at me. I saw he was crying. Looking at him made my heart hurt.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

Dan sat up and shrugged. I kicked off my shoes and swung my legs up so I was seated next to him. I waited to see if he would say anything.

Dan took a breath. "So they _did_ abandon us." He wiped his eyes and looked at me.

My heart clenched. For the third time in my life (the first being the 'death' of my parents, and the second being the death of Grace), I knew what heartache really meant. I'd never felt this empty and torn inside. Not when Ian betrayed us in Korea. Not when I thought Uncle Alistair was dead, then found out he had double crossed us. Not when I found out about my parents 'murder'. Not when Irina or Lester died. Not when I found out I was a Madrigal. Not even when I found out about Nellie's betrayal. Each time I _thought _it was heartache I was feeling. But it had never felt like this.

I tried to come up with a rational answer. "Not exactly," I said. "They stayed away to protect us. Not seeing us must have been hard on them, too."

Dan shrugged. "So that makes it okay that they couldn't tell us?" he asked. Tears started slipping again, but he either didn't notice or didn't care. "Fine. I'll say that I understand them not telling us before the Clue Hunt. But what about _after _it started? It wouldn't have put us in more danger _then_. Probably less. We'd have travel funds. Wouldn't have to worry about things like food. I also bet Ian _never _would have tried to break your heart if you had a father to back you up."

That one hit home. I was over Ian. I really was. But that didn't mean I enjoyed being reminded of my first broken heart. "But Isabel might have entered the Hunt earlier," I said weakly, trying to hold back tears.

"So? She'd be just as ruthless. And, fine. But what stopped them from revealing themselves after that?" Dan shot back.

I started crying then. I couldn't help it. I just found out my parents were alive after eight years of thinking they were dead and gone. I was just reminded of all the things that had gone wrong in the Clue Hunt and how they may have been avoided if my parents had revealed they'd been alive. I felt as fragile as if I'd been made of glass.

Dan frowned. "Don't cry, Amy," he said, putting one of his hands on my shoulder. I kept crying, and covered my face with my hands. We sat like that for a few minutes. Once I felt like I had myself under control, I lifted my head. I saw Dan had sort of nodded off. He was barely awake.

"Dan?" I whispered.

"Hmmm?" he murmured. I tried to smile, even though I was terrified he really was sick.

"You okay?" He nodded. I got off his bed. He burrowed himself deeper into his covers. He was sleeping before I reached his door.

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><p><strong>Another chapter done! And when I was going over the first chapter, I realized I never made it clear when this takes place. I originally wanted it to take place in mid-November, but when I looked up the average for Boston then... well, it doesn't even get that cold in North Carolina till late-December! So I decided it was to take place in mid-October, after the Clue Hunt. I plan on making the next chapter from Hope's perspective at least once.<strong>

**I apologize for any possible OOCness. It would help if you would review, though (hint, hint).**


	3. Saturdays

**Whoa. I did not think I'd take so long to update. Two freaking weeks. I don't even have an excuse, since I didn't do my Social Studies project or the Biotechnology paper, both of which were due this week (I'm just glad the S/S project was mostly extra credit and Biotech is an elective). I'm really sorry you had to wait so long. And regarding Catfriend3000's question, this takes place RIGHT AFTER THE CLUE HUNT. VESPER'S RISING NEVER HAPPENED. Time for the disclaimer!**

**Me: I own nothing!**

**Dan: Thankfully...**

**Me: What's _that _supposed to mean?**

**Dan: Oh, nothing.**

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><p>Hope's POV<p>

After Arthur and I finished explaining what had happened, I looked at my children. Amy looked kind of stunned and Dan looked outright _sick_. Like he was having a headache. He stood up unsteadily, and claimed he wasn't feeling well. He headed upstairs, and I nearly went after him, but Arthur took my hand and stopped me.

Amy was staring at the hallway where Dan had disappeared. Fiske motioned for us to follow him to the kitchen, while Nellie stayed behind with Amy.

Soon Nellie joined us, and said, "I sent Amy to go talk to Dan." She raised an eyebrow, and I became aware that I was still squeezing Arthur's hand. I loosened my grip a bit.

Fiske cleared his throat and turned to Arthur and I. "Excuse my directness, but do you have a plan yet?" He looked concerned.

I blinked. Arthur asked, "What?"

"A plan," Fiske repeated. "For example, do you plan on adopting the children?" Nellie looked pained when he said that.

I blinked again. I hadn't actually thought that far ahead yet. My basic plan was _Find Dan and Amy. Explain. Become family._ I realized how stupid we'd been in our act of rashness.

"Um... no," Arthur said, running a hand through his hair.

"Mmhm," Fiske said, looking slightly amused. "Have you found a home yet? Are you considering getting new identities, or explain to the police what happened, or..." He waved his hand.

"No and I have got no idea," Arthur answered. I gave him a look. "What?" he defended himself. "I don't know, and I'm not going to pretend to know." I rolled my eyes.

"I'm sorry, but he didn't take his medication today," I said. Arthur glared at me. Fiske chucked and even Nellie smiled a little. "And anyway, we don't really have much of a plan yet. We were just planning on the whole 'go with the flow' idea." I said that last part because I figured that sounded a lot neater and 'good, responsible parent' -ish, than 'Oh, I had no real plan whatsoever. More like a list of things to accomplish'.

Fiske nodded. "You are welcome to stay with us while you figure things out," he offered. "Do you have luggage?"

I nodded. "The cargo plane was delayed, so the luggage can't get here till at least three. I hope you don't mind we told them your address." Fiske shook his head.

"Well, there's a guest room on the second floor, third door on the left." He looked at me. "I suppose you could find that one easily. I'd like to speak with Nellie." I nodded and he smiled. "Oh, and just so you know, Dan's room is the first door on the right, and Amy's is the second on the left."

I beamed at him. "Thank you," I said sincerely. He waved his hand dismissively, and Arthur and I headed upstairs.

When we got to the head of the stairs, I saw a figure closing the door to Dan's room. "Amy?" Arthur called. She spun around, her eyes wide.

"Uh... hi," she said weakly.

"What are you doing?" I asked. We were standing right in front of her, and I was startled to realize that she was nearly as tall as I was. I barely had three inches on her now.

"Oh, nothing," she said. "I was just checking on Dan." She pushed her bangs back out of her eyes.

"Is he okay?"

Amy shrugged. "I think so. He's asleep, though."

I tried not to look upset by that. I'd really wanted to talk to him, but I figured I could do that later. So I just nodded.

"Well, we'll be down the hall, if you need us," Arthur said. "Is there anything you want to talk to us about?" Amy shook her head, a little too fast, in my opinion.

"I'm fine," she said. She turned to go down the hall to her room, and closed her door.

I turned to Arthur. He frowned. "I guess we'll just have to take her word for it," he said, although he didn't look happy about it. We headed down the hall to our room.

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><p>Amy's POV<p>

It was nearly dinnertime, and Dan _still_ hasn't woken up. Or, if he had, he hadn't come out of his room, not even to eat. At our house, we almost never ate lunch together. It was more of a matter of going to the kitchen and making yourself a sandwich or whatever when you were hungry. So I suppose he could have while I was in my room, but I don't think he'd left his room since 1:30.

I left my bedroom and headed down the hall to Dan's room. I opened his door and looked inside. Dan was still curled up in bed. I walked over and shook his shoulder.

Dan rolled over and muttered something unintelligible. I shook him harder and sat down on the edge of his bed. "Dan get up! Dinner's gonna be on the table soon!"

Finally he sat up, and promptly glared at me. "Sheesh, Amy! I was _trying_ to catch up on my sleep!" he said, trying to sound mad, but still just sounded sleepy.

"Oh, well. And take a shower, please. I know you didn't take one last night, and I bet you didn't take one this morning either."

He shook his head, still frowning. "At least I brushed my teeth," he muttered, then grinned. "Wanna check?" Before I could react, he breathed in my face.

I laughed and pushed his face away. "Gross, dweeb. But seriously, you need to bathe." He pouted and trudged out into the hall.

I was glad Dan was starting to act more like his old self. Even though it could have something to do with the fact that his been sleeping the past five hours and might not remember what happened, or assumed it was a dream. I guess I'd just have to wait till dinner.

At the dinner table, everyone was quiet. Fiske and my parents were involved in a weak conversation involving reasonably priced homes in the Boston and Attleboro **(A/N: ?)** area. Dan was pushing what was left of his baked potato around on his plate, and Nellie was trying to explain to Saladin that he _could not_ eat the chicken off her plate till she was done. I was waiting for everyone else to finish so I could get upstairs to my room already. These people were beginning to get on my nerves. On a normal day, I would have just excused myself and headed upstairs. Sticking around waiting for everyone to finish was one thing we did not typically do. The worst part was that, save my parents, dinners with everyone either ignoring each other or everyone getting involved in an argument weren't exactly unusual. We weren't one of those perfect, close-nit, TV families. Never have been, probably never will be, whether or not my parents choose to butt in on my life.

Finally, everyone finished. "I'll clear the table," I offered. Nellie raised an eyebrow. She had every reason to be suspicious. Clearing the table was another thing we seldom did. We usually just took our plates to the sink ourselves. Nellie, Fiske and I traded off for dishwater duty (no one really trusted Dan in the kitchen alone, so we just had him clear the table of the serving dishes and put them in the fridge).

Trying to smile pleasantly (and likely failing miserably), I took the plates and utensils from each person's spot, stacked them, and took them to the sink. Then I came back for the glasses, then the serving dishes. I thought about just filling the dishwasher, but it was technically Nellie's day, and I _really_ wanted to get upstairs. But I didn't want to seem lazy or rude in front of my parents. Finally though, the latter won out, and I filled the dishwasher.

When I got back to the regular dining room, (the guesthouse has two, so we have a normal one and a special occasion one) everyone was gone. I figured Dan was likely in his room and Nellie in her's, and my parents a Fiske were probably in his study. Finally, I could get to my room and be alone for the rest of the night, since it was still eight o'clock. I headed upstairs.

In my bedroom, I just lolled around, not really doing much. I read. I checked my email. I reorganized my bookshelf. I tidied up my room. I read some more. What I really wanted to do was talk to my best friend, Sunny. But I didn't think I'd be able to without explaining the whole parents thing, considering how we'd met in 4th grade, so she'd never my my parents. All she knew was that they had died in a fire when I was seven.

I decided to write in my journal. Note, I said journal, not diary. It's still private, but I don't always write in it. Just when I feel like I should. I mostly wrote about my parents and how I felt about the entire situation.

At around ten, I began to feel tired. I put on my pajamas, slipped into bed and fell into a dreamless sleep.

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><p><strong>Yes! I am finally done with this chapter. It is freaking hard to write in Hope's POV in a situation like this. Tell me if you like how I portrayed her and Arthur. And yes, I know Arthur didn't have a lot of dialog. It was hard trying to fit him in. Sorry for any OOCness.<strong>

**In case you couldn't tell, I ended up basing their family routine on real family routines, like my friends and my families.**

**I'll try to get the next chapter up by Wednesday and have it be from Dan's POV. I wanna update at least once a week. I also want reviews.**


	4. Sundays and SUNNYdays

**Yay! I (sort of) made my personal deadline! Time for the disclaimer!**

**Me: AgentCherry-Garcia owns nothing but the plot and Sunny Wilburt!**

**Dan: Sunny's a dork. I see why you made her _Amy's_ friend.**

**Me: Keep that up, and I won't make you _any_ friends, dorky or not.**

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><p>Dan's POV<p>

When I woke up Sunday morning, light was just starting to seep in though my curtains. I checked my clock. 8:49. I got out of bed and stretched, then headed downstairs.

Amy and Nellie were in the kitchen, trying to finish making breakfast. They were already dressed.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked, sliding on to a stool at the breakfast counter. Nellie turned to look at me while Amy took the milk then orange juice out of the fridge.

"Good morning to you too," Nellie said, grinning. Her streaky hair was piled up on top of her head and held in place with an array of bright hair clips and glitter bobby pins. "They're in the living room." I nodded. Amy poured milk into a glass pitcher.

"Before you ask, we're having three types of waffles- plain, blueberry, and buttermilk- and two kinds of sausages- regular and tofu- for breakfast. There's biscuits and fruit, too, but Nellie and I didn't have time to make them from scratch, so we just used the Pillsbury kind. The biscuits, not the fruit," Amy said without looking up. "Can you tell everyone breakfast's almost ready?" She started to pour the orange juice into a different pitcher.

I nodded again, and went to the living room. My parents were sitting one one couch, and Uncle Fiske in an armchair. They stopped talking when I came in. Mom smiled at me.

"Good morning, Dan," she said.

"Good morning. Amy said breakfast was almost ready." They nodded, and I went back to the kitchen, where Nellie was arranging the waffles, biscuits, and sausages on a massive plate, and Amy was struggling to hold both pitchers. I went over to her to took one and she smiled at me gratefully.

Amy and I set the table, then fed Saladin. Nellie called the adults to the dining room. Breakfast was mostly silent, untill Uncle Fiske spoke up.

"Excuse me," he said. Nellie quit piling different jellies and jams on her biscuit. Mom and Dad stopped stirring their tea. Amy looked up from the blueberries and strawberry slices she'd been pushing around her plate. I stopped trying to drown the apple slices I'd put on my waffle in syrup.

Uncle Fiske continued. "I think everyone should know. Dan and Amy, your parents are considering adopting you."

Amy and I froze. I swear, my heart stopped beating for a second. I think Amy stopped breathing.

"I know this is coming as a shock to the children," he went on, "But as I said, Hope and Arthur are only considering it. Nothing it definite yet."

_I don't care if nothing is definite_, I thought. _I don't want to get adopted by the parents that _abandoned_ me and my sister._ I looked at Nellie. She looked absolutely miserable. I glared at my parents.

Amy was staring down at her plate. She got up from the table and left without a word. Soon I heard her bedroom door close. I got up from the table too, taking my and Amy's plates with me to the kitchen. I covered them in plastic wrap and put them in the fridge.

The doorbell rang. I went to answer it, since, other than Amy, I was the only one who was up from the table. Amy's friend Sunny was standing on the porch, and was breathing hard, like she had run all the way over here, which was kind of weird, since she lived like two blocks from us.

"Hey, Dan," she said, panting. She was wearing a short brown skirt and a lime green sweatshirt with athletic sneakers. She had a gray and green bag slung over her shoulder. Her blond hair was blowing in her face. Even after what had happened, I couldn't help but stare at her hair. It always had this faint, inner glow to it and glimmered.

She looked me over. "Why are you still in your pajamas?"

"Why are you wearing a skirt in 50 degree weather?"

"Touche. Where's Amy? She told me to come over to help her study for a test by nine thirty. I was almost late." She said that last part almost proudly. I know why. Sunny's always running late, from meeting people to homework assignments. Time doesn't agree with her. You learn these things about people when you've known them since you were six.

"I'm right here." I turned. Amy was standing behind me. Her hair was hanging in her face, making her eyes look bigger and greener.

"Good." Sunny cocked her head. "Amy, did you brush your hair?" Amy shook her head and Sunny sighed. "At least it isn't a school day. Do you know how hard it is to try and get your hair looking presentable while on the school bus? Well, let's get upstairs."

No sooner had Sunny stepped inside, did Mom appear. I closed the door, trying to appear busy with the lock so she wouldn't talk to me.

"Who's that?" I heard Sunny whisper to Amy.

"Hope, meet Sunny. Sunny, meet Hope," Amy said loudly. I turned. Sunny and Mom were shaking hands, and Sunny was smiling so widely, you could see her pink braces on both her upper and lower jaws.

"Hi!" she said cheerfully. "I'm Sunny Wilburt, Amy's friend. Do you have any idea how much you look like Amy? Not spitting images, mind you, but fairly close. Which totally reminds me of that time in 6th grade when Amy and I-"

"Hope's family, Sun," Amy interrupted. "She and her husband will be here awhile. Now let's go." Amy grabbed Sunny's arm and dragged her upstairs. I followed them, because, again, I did _not_ want to talk to my mother.

I went to my room and closed the door. Since I was still in my pajamas anyway and had nothing else to do, I got back in bed. Then someone opened my door.

Mom walked into my room and over to my bed. There was no point in pretending I was asleep, since I was still sitting up. So instead I crossed my arms and stared at my comforter.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mom sit down at the edge of my bed, right next to me.

"Dan, don't be mad at us. Please, just look at me," I heard her say. I still didn't look up, because I was afraid if I did, I'd start crying and I did _not_ want that to happen.

"Sweetheart, please." I almost told her not to call me that, but Mom sounded so close to tears that I kept my mouth shut. Finally, I looked at her; not because I wanted to, but because I knew if she started crying, I'd start, and again, I don't want that to happen.

Mom's green eyes looked sad as she looked at my face. She touched the skin under my right eye. For a second, I was just thinking '_What?_' till I remembered my scar. Mom didn't know about it. Her eyes seemed to be asking me what had happened.

"I fell on my toy plane when I was seven," I muttered. She nodded.

"We missed so much, Danny," she said quietly. She dropped her hand from my face.

"You did, didn't you?" I snapped. Her eyes filled with tears, and immediately I felt guilty. But not guilty enough to apologize. I leaned back and crossed my arms, refusing to look at her.

"Dan," she pleaded. I ignored her. I did not need her trying to convince me that she and Dad stayed away during the Clue Hunt to 'protect us'. Because whether I liked it or not, I was starting to believe it. And I think Amy was too.

_But_ that did not mean I wanted to be adopted. Especially by people who might even get fake IDs I don't think I have a single friend who's known me long enough to recognize my parents. But I was pretty sure Amy at least knew some people from kindergarten and first grade who might. And there was probably a fair amount of people who'll recognize a college math professor **(A/N: I can't remember whether it was college or high school. Bear with me) **and an archaeologist. Especially ones that 'died' in a drastic fire that resulted in two orphaned kids nearly eight years ago.

"I'm tired," I said. I burrowed deeper under the covers and closed my eyes. I heard Mom sigh, and get up. The door closed and I opened my eyes then got out of bed. I went over to my desk and turned on my laptop. I was going to do a little research.

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><p>Amy's POV<p>

Sunny and I were in my bedroom. I was sitting on my desk chair, looking over our science notes. Sunny was lying on my bed, letting her head flop over the edge. Her long hair created a yellow puddle on the floor and she was bouncing her feet on one of my throw pillows.

"The force of friction acting on a cart on a ramp is exactly balanced by the force of gravity acting on the cart down the ramp. What will happen to the cart?" I asked Sunny.

She snorted. "Easy. Nothing. The cart will remain exactly where it started." Needless to say, Sunny was good in science, which was strange, because it was _not_ her favorite subject. She says it just makes sense to her. "Ask me a harder one."

I skimmed over my notes. "Okay. What happens to hydrogen when it is burned with no other gases present?"

She answered instantly. "Hydrogen doesn't burn unless in the presence of oxygen. I hate science. Let's move on."

I was happy to comply. I wasn't exactly eager to study either. I wasn't exactly the daydreaming type (Sunny did enough of that for both of us) but my mind kept floating back to the subject I was trying to _avoid_. My parents.

Sunny dragged herself off my bed and walked to the door. "Come on. I'm hungry," she whined.

I looked at my digital clock. "Sun. It's only ten-thirty. You must have had breakfast a little over an hour ago." The girl had a stomach like a trash compactor. She's even worse than Dan. I've always wondered how she managed to stay stick skinny with all the food she consumes.

She pouted. "But I _hungry_. Besides, all I ate was a FiberOne bar, because I was running late. That's, like, a _crumb_ by my standards." I smiled. Sunny could always cheer me up. Even when she wasn't trying to.

I followed her downstairs to the kitchen. Sunny bounded over to the pantry and walked in. When she came back out, she was holding a pack of Pop Tarts and was already munching on one. She made a face.

"You know I like raspberry more than strawberry," she said, then promptly took a huge bite.

I shrugged. "You don't seem to mind."

"I have nothing against strawberry. I just like raspberry _more_." She took another bite and I rolled my eyes.

"That's like dessert you're having for breakfast anyway," I pointed out.

"Just be glad I took this and not the cookie dough I _know_ you have in the freezer." She headed to the living room and I followed.

My parents and Fiske were still in there. Argh, couldn't they hang out in Fiske's study or something? I grabbed Sunny's sweatshirt and pulled her out of the living room and back to the kitchen before they could see us. Although I think Dad might have.

"Hey," Sunny whined. "I wanted to meet Hope's husband." She pulled away from me. I noticed (for the billionth time) her eyes. They were the exact same shade of green that Dan and my's eyes were. People used to ask if we were sisters (since Sunny has a good two inches on me- she was always tall for her age). Even Grace used to joke that Sunny was a long lost member of our family. Which was sorta possible, now that I know the truth about our family. Sunny lives only with her mom (who looks nothing like her. Her mother has dark hair and blue eyes) in the mansion her she (her mom) grew up in, since her dad died before she was born.

Right now those green eyes were searching my face, trying to pull out secrets. She was tugging on her bangs, which was a sure sign she was upset. I looked down, not wanting to meet her eyes.

"Amy," she said softly. "Something's wrong. Tell me."

I wanted to tell her. I really did. But I didn't see how I could. I looked back up at her and was relived to see she didn't look mad. Just a little upset.

Sunny cocked her head and smiled a little. "Okay," she said ruefully. "You don't want to tell me right now. But I'm okay with that. You know why?" Sunny slung her arm around my shoulders and gave me a squeeze, then went on without waiting for an answer. "Because you are my best friend, and I know you'll tell me when you feel ready." She grinned down at me and I smiled back.

Sunny crammed the last of her Pop Tart into her mouth. "Now let's get upstairs," she mumbled through a mouthful. "But first." She walked to the freezer and removed two containers of cookie dough- chocolate chip and chocolate M&M. She grinned again and grabbed two spoons. "Food for the soul and heart," she said solemnly, and I burst out laughing. "Now, who wants to prank call Austin and Bahir? And who could forget that hot shot, Evan Tolliver? I know I do."

She dashed from the kitchen and up the stairs to my room, and I sprinted after her. My parents were furthest from my mind.

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><p><strong>So how'd you like it? I'm afraid Amy may have a little OOC in Dan's POV, and maybe in hers. Tell me in reviews (hint, hint)! This chapter was the longest so far- 2,400 words be fore I added the Author's Notes.<strong>

**I plan on having the next chapter taking place on Monday and starting on Amy's POV. I'll try to update before next Wednesday. If I don't, I'll appreciate if y'all would come after me as an angry mob with pitchforks and... FLAMES! As motivation. No, not really. Never mind.**


	5. School, Cars, and Football

**Yep, it's me again! This time _before_ my deadline. Don't pretend you aren't excited and proud. I know you are. And yes, I know my chapter names suck. No need to call attention. Disclaimer time!**

**Me: I think you know what I'm about to say, but because I don't want Rick Riordan and his slew of ghostwriters coming after me with lawyers and hounds, I'll say it. I own nothing.**

**Dan: Maybe if I'm lucky, they'll come after you anyway.**

**Me: Why are you still here? All you've done is-**

**Both: *Start arguing***

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><p>Amy's POV<p>

When I woke up Monday morning, I felt... serene. That's the only way I could describe it. Peaceful. Like everything was going to be okay. Spending nearly all of yesterday with Sunny, I realized how much I envied her unshakable view of the world. She takes everything in stride, just goes with the flow. I suppose she was _has _to be like that, because of her mother's unexpected shifts at the hospital. She's used to getting a call from her mom, saying that she won't be home till late because of an unexpected patient. The Clue Hunt had taught me to expect the unexpected, but Sunny took that to a whole new level.

So I spent most of my morning feeling like that. Unshakable. I didn't even yell at Dan to get up. Instead, I threatened to finish off the Cocoa Puffs if he wasn't downstairs- showered and dressed, I might add- in twenty minutes. It was a weak threat (I don't even like Cocoa Puffs- they taste too artificial), but Dan bought it. He got downstairs only five minutes after I did. We were alone in the kitchen, since it was only seven A.M, and Nellie didn't have to get up till 7:30, and Fiske was probably in his study.

While Dan was making his cereal, I hunted around for something to eat, since I had to be at the bus stop in five minutes. Finally, I grabbed one of Nellie's FiberOnes and grabbed my bag.

"Bye, Dan!" I said. "Remember to get to the stop by 7:20, 'kay?" He nodded, and I left the kitchen, and went out the front door to the street corner that served as the stop. When the bus pulled up, I chose a seat right in the middle. Just as the bus was about to pull away, Sunny came running up the street. She boarded and collapsed next to me, ignoring the bus drivers warnings that he would just leave next time.

"I woke up late, then I couldn't find my homework, and just as I was about to leave, I remembered that I hadn't fed Westchester. Then, halfway up my block, I remembered I didn't have my cell phone. So I had to run back, grab my phone and dash out the door with 30 seconds to run a three minute walk," she explained in a rush. She pulled a Super Donut (no, they aren't mega size doughnuts. They're protein enriched whole wheat doughnuts that taste awesome) from her bag. She unwrapped it and took a huge bite, then looked at me.

"Well, at least I don't have to struggle with your hair," she said. I'd pulled it back with a few of Nellie's barrettes to match my white sweater and jeans.

I rolled my eyes. "At least I know you didn't spend anytime on your outfit," I said sarcastically. She was wearing her Beatles (the band, not the insect) tee with a black blazer, red skinny jeans, and black combat boots. Knowing Sunny, she'd spent all of three hours picking that out.

She stuck her tongue out at me.

*Page break*

After putting our stuff in our lockers, Sunny and I waited around in the hall for our other best friend, Charlotte Larson. Pretty soon, we saw her walking down the hall, as usual dressed in what she likes to call 'sporty- feminine'. She was wearing an orange Tommy Sports hoodie, white cargos, and sneakers. Her curly dark hair bouncing in it's usual ponytail.

"Lottie!" Sunny screamed. She ran to her then dragged her her down the hall. Charlotte's tiny frame made it easy (she was only 5'1", seven inches shorter than Sunny, and five shorter than me), even though she was struggling.

"What?" Charlotte asked. "And don't call me 'Lottie', _Saylence_." Every time Sunny called Charlotte by her hated nickname, Charlotte retailed with Sunny's hated full name.

"Guess freaking what!" Sunny shrieked, ignoring Charlotte's last comment.

"What?" Charlotte and I shouted. Sunny hadn't told me anything that seemed exciting, yet.

"No privacy here," she said. By now she had passed me, Charlotte still in tow, and reached back to grab my wrist. She dragged us down the hall to the girls bathroom, then shoved us into the handicapped stall, pulling the door closed behind us.

"What is it?" Charlotte asked again, stomping her foot. Sunny was practically hyperventilating.

"I..." she paused dramatically. "Am in... _love_." She clasped her hands together and closed her eyes dreamily.

My mouth dropped open. Char's china blue eyes widened. I recovered first.

"What do you mean,_ love_?" I said. Sunny opened her eyes, and looked at me.

"What do mean, 'What do you mean love'?" she asked. "Love is love, and I'm pretty sure I'm feeling it."

"Well, you're gonna feeling it when whoever this is breaks your heart," Charlotte said. She's been on this 'boys are evil' mood swing since the end of eighth grade, after Petey McIntosh **(A/N: Secret Language of Girls reference!) **publicly dumped her for a ninth grader.

Sunny rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Lottie. You don't even know who it is yet."

"Fine," Charlotte huffed. "Who is it?" Sunny got that dreamy look on her face again.

"Tyler Matthews," she breathed. My eyebrows shot up.

"Evan's friend?" I asked, trying to seem nonchalant. No such luck- Sunny knew me too well. She grinned.

"Yep. And when we finally get our men, we can totally double-date!" she said, and grabbed my hands. There was no stopping the grin now. We clasped hands and hopped up and down, squealing. My elbow banged against the toilet paper dispenser, but I hardly noticed.

Char was smiling ruefully at us, and I knew she wasn't upset. "You guys," she said. "We have four minutes till homeroom, and I still haven't put away my stuff, no thanks to Sunny, I might add." She gestured to her bulging tote, then opened the stall door. The other girls in the bathroom stared at us as we emerged. Sunny didn't seem to notice them (she still had that dreamy look on her face), but I could feel my face redden. Charlotte strolled right past them.

"Girl meeting," she said to the nearest girl, and she nodded in understanding. Charlotte pushed open the heavy wood door open, and turned to look at us. "We'll talk more at lunch," she promised. "Wanna come to my place after school?" Charlotte's parents owned this little inn a couple of miles from where Sunny and I lived. It was our favorite hangout. Mainly because of the awesome lounge on the fourth floor (the one she shares with her parents and older sister).

Sunny and I exchanged glances, then nodded. "I can take the bus home," Sunny said. "Unless Nellie can drop me off." I nodded.

"Good," Charlotte said, and dashed down the hall.

* * *

><p>Arthur's POV<p>

I could hardly believe it was already 4:30. The day went by fast. Firstly, I didn't get up until eleven. Then, Hope (who was dusting the living room, for whatever odd reason) yelled at me for sleeping so late, and told me to have brunch, since it was so late. Then, when I finished, Hope (she had moved on to the dining room) told me to get a rental car. I had to take the stupid bus, so I didn't get to the car rental place till quarter to one. Luckily, it did not take me long to find a car I liked. Unluckily, when I got back with the car, Hope yelled at me for getting a 'safety hazard disguised as a car'. It was a doorless Jeep Wrangler. She told me to get a Mazda.

So I had to go back to the car rental place, explain that my wife hated the car, and trade in the keys. Luckily, it didn't take long to find a Mazda I liked. Sadly, I soon found out that Hope thinks that convertibles are 'not sensible' cars for cold weather. I had to trade in the keys again, this time for 'a car that is not missing any vital parts'.

I found this super cool car (a Mazda Shinari Concept) in like, three minutes. This time when I came back with the car though, Hope just gave me a Look, took the keys and left in the car. She came back an hour later with a (boring, in my opinion) Mazda Sedan and a ton of groceries. Then she kissed my cheek, patted my shoulder, and said, and I quote, "Honey, _you_ can take the groceries to the house. It's the least you can do."

Pfft. The least I can do. It's not like I was running around doing completely pointless tasks (like dusting *cough*Hope*cough*) all day. But, being the good husband I am, brought all the groceries inside with only _one_ muttered comment. Which doesn't really count, because Hope heard it and rolled her eyes. Then, it occurred to me to ask why exactly had Hope gone shopping for groceries in the first place. She face palmed, and made me go with her to return them. We got back about three minutes ago. Dan was sitting on the couch in the living room, watching TV.

Natural instincts kicked in. "Is that the football game?" I asked, sitting next to him on the couch. He looked at me sideways.

"Yeah," he answered. Then, one of the Packers plowed over the Patriots linebacker. Dan and I started yelling at the screen at the same time.

I was aware of Hope standing in the background, shaking her head and smiling. She was probably thinking something along the lines of 'Men, bonding over football.' She'd said the same thing in the Madrigal stronghold when a bunch of guys had taken sides over who should have won the Super Bowl. She'd also called it ironic, how we were fighting over football scores when we were trying to unite a family.

I didn't really care that my son and I were bonding over football. I just cared we were bonding at all. And how great it felt to have a son.

* * *

><p><strong>Yay! I'm done with this chapter! And to all of you who reviewed, thanks! And to those who read and didn't review (because I know you're out there), review now! And to those who are just reading, review! Everyone review!<strong>

**And if anyone's wondering why Amy's part had nothing to do with her parents, it's her B-plot. Dan's going to have one, too. Maybe.**


	6. The Great Bath Fiasco

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed! This chapter is dedicated to you! Disclaimer time!**

**Me: I still own nothing but the plot! And, halfway, Hope and Arthur!**

**Dan: You can't own my parents, not even halfway. Rick Riordan created them.**

**Me: Correction. Rick Riordan created their names and Hope's general personality. I created Arthur's personality and made them both come to life. So I own your dad even _more_ than Riordan. All he did was create a name and mention some goofball moments, like Oscar the Fingernail Wizard, or something like that. I made a _person_.**

**Dan: ... I hate to say it, but you're kinda right. Riordan barely mentioned my dad.**

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><p>Dan's POV<p>

The football game had just ended when the phone rang.

"I'll get it!" I shouted, and jumped off the couch. I answered the phone and listened for a second, then held the phone out. "Mom, it's Amy. She wants to talk to you." Mom's face lit up, and I decided not to mention Amy's slightly grudging tone. She took the phone from me, and I went back to the couch. Dad and I looked over as Mom talked to Amy. She kept making a bunch of "Mmhm" sounds, and was jotting something down in her arm with a Sharpie. I guess she couldn't find any paper.

Finally she hung up and turned to us. "Amy's at a friend's house," she announced. "Nellie stayed on campus with some friends and can't be back till late, so I'm going to pick her up." She was trying to sound casual, but even I could hear the underlying excitement in her voice. "I wrote the address on my arm." She held out her arm and I saw some writing surrounded by doodles of flowers, smiley faces, and squiggles. I knew my fair share of girls who drew on their arms too. And even more who use Sharpie to streak their hair.

Mom turned and grabbed some keys off the counter. She was about to leave the room, when suddenly she turned back and looked at me and Dad. Her eyes narrowed.

"Arthur," she asked. "You _can_ keep a responsible eye on Dan, right?"

He grinned. "Of course. Taking care of kids is easy."

Mom rolled her eyes. "I recall you saying those exact words the last time I asked you to watch the children. I ended up coming home to-"

"But Danny's eleven now," Dad interrupted. I noticed he was blushing a little. "And there's only one of him. That has _got_ to be easier that taking care of a three and six-year-old. He can walk steadily, form complete sentences, go potty on his own-" Now _I_ blushed. "-tell me exactly what he needs when he needs it, feed himself, and he might even posses common sense. No one will almost drown in a bathtub this time." He smirked at Mom.

"Well, if you're sure..." Mom said slowly. "Okay." She turned and left the living room, calling goodbye over her shoulder.

As soon as I heard the front door close, my head snapped around to look at Dad.

"I nearly drowned in a bathtub?" I asked (almost yelled, actually). Dad looked at me.

"Yeah. I had just put you in the bathtub with all your little bath toys and stuff, when Amy started screaming downstairs. I went down to check on her- I think she stepped on one of your spare Legos- **(A/N: You do not ever want to step on a Lego. Especially not in the dark. Not fun.)** and ended up getting absorbed in 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic' with her- don't ask. Anyway, I sorta forgot I left you in the tub. By the time the show was ending, Mom had come home. The house was a mess, the kitchen was In A State, and there were Legos and Barbies and stuffed animals and Amy's books everywhere. We tried to build a fort downstairs, and there were sheets and quilts and pillows all over the living room. After Mom stopped ranting- she usually doesn't have a problem with that kind of stuff, she just has a problem with not cleaning up- she asked me where you were. After I realized you'd been in the tub for nearly half-an-hour, Mom and I sprinted upstairs to the bathroom. And we found you asleep in the tub looking perfectly peaceful. The water wasn't deep enough for you to drown in if you stayed sitting up, not even if your head tilted forward- only if you'd decided to lie down. Even so, she started freaking out and crying about how you 'could've drowned'. And since then, your mother wouldn't let me stay home alone with you kids ever again. That was, like, a year she referred to it as 'The Great Bath Fiasco, in Which her Baby Nearly Drowned'. She told everyone, her friends, my friends, the person standing behind us in line, the grocer, even my students!" Dad shook his head, and I grinned.

"Seriously?" I asked. He nodded, smiling.

"Jeez, you kids were a handful. Once, after we had taken you guys trick-or-treating, we decided to watch Jimmy Kimmel Live. And he gave us this great idea. To pretend that we ate all of your Halloween candy and put the video on YouTube. So, the next morning, I took out the video camera, and Mom broke the news, saying 'Dan, Amy. Daddy and me ate your Halloween candy last night after you went to bed. All of it.' You started crying, and Amy started yelling at us, and looking around the kitchen, trying to see where we'd hidden it. When she didn't find it, she sat down in the middle of the floor and started crying, too. Eventually, we got tired of torturing you, and admitted we lied. Mom wanted you guys to say 'Happy Halloween' to Jimmy. You said it, but Amy started ranting about how he can't go around brainwashing parents into saying they ate their kids Halloween candy, then stormed out of the kitchen, calling Jimmy mean."

I laughed, and Dad went on. "I ended up showing that video to my students at the end of class on Monday, and they all loved it. Some of them were also victims of Jimmy Kimmel, like their parents waking them up in the middle of the night, and saying they were late for school. One kid's parent even went so far as to take them to bus stop before admitting."

Dad kept on telling me stories about when Amy and I were little, up until the moment Amy and Mom got home. They came to the living room and Mom was carrying a huge pizza box.

"Hello, boys," she said lightly, setting the pizza down on the breakfast counter. "Fiske called me to say he went out for dinner in the city and won't be back till ten or so. So Amy and I decided to pick up a pizza."

Amy tossed her bag on the couch and shrugged. "No big deal," she yawned. "I'm tired, though. I think I'll just go to bed."

I looked at the clock. "Amy, it's, like, 7:30."

She nodded. "I know, but we had the fitness test makeups today in gym, since I missed the first one, and it was _hard_. Even more so because I was one of the only freshmen taking it." Her knees seemed to give way, and she collapsed next to me on the couch. "First, we did push ups and sit ups, the usual stuff. Then we did stairs for twenty minutes, then the rock climb." She closed her eyes, and I realized she was still in her gym clothes (just an over-sized Susan B. Anthony High t-shirt and athletic shorts). She must have been tired if she hadn't even bothered to change _after_ going to a friend's house.

We let Amy stay in the living room while we set the table. When we were done, I went to go get her and found she had fallen asleep. She lying down on the couch and hadn't even bothered to take off her sneakers.

"Mom," I called. "Amy's sleeping. Should I wake her up?" Mom came into the living room and looked Amy.

"No, let her sleep," she said. "She looked positively winded when I picked her up." Mom went over and tugged Amy's sneakers off her feet, then looked at me. "Can you get me the spare blankets, if you have any? I think she'll end up spending the night down here." I nodded, and got the spare blankets from the closet upstairs. Mom spread them over Amy and felt her forehead. She frowned.

"I don't think she has a fever," she murmured. "I suppose it really was just the test." **(A/N: Possible foreshadowing?)**

*Page Break*

I was in my room, sitting on my bed when someone knocked on my door. "Come in," I called. Dad entered.

"Hey. Do you have any homework?" he asked, then grinned. "I have always wanted to ask that, which is kinda ironic, since I used to be a math professor, and would _give out_ homework. Well, anyway, got any homework?"

"Just to read the next chapter in this novel we're reading,_ The Giver_. Then we're supposed to discuss our thoughts with a family member."

"Did you do that?"

"Well, I read the chapter, but I didn't discuss." I knew I was pretty much asking Dad to help me, but I didn't really feel as awkward around him anymore.

"Mmhm," he said. "Do you want to discuss with me?" He sat down next to me.

"Sure. So far, _The Giver_ is about some kid named Jonas, who lives in a Community where they completely control your life, to the point that the Committee chooses your job, children, and spouse. There are also rules and stuff about what you can and can't do at certain ages, like how kids can't have bikes till they're nine. Plus, they keep mentioning this 'release'. The guys and I think it means they shoot you, but who knows? Oh, and apparently, women get paid to have kids. They're called Birth mothers."

"What?" Dad exclaimed. I decided not to mention that I also knew exactly what this job was called in real life, or the special 'items' girls received (in front of a huge crowd, no less) at the age of eleven.

"Nothing. We're on chapter four at the moment. Can you sign this?" I handed him my reading log and he signed it.

"Dan," Dad started after a moment. "How do you feel about your mother and I being here?"

I shrugged. "Okay, I guess."

"Do you mind?"

"Not really." The weird thing was, I meant it. I really didn't mind having them here. Sure, I minded them just dropping in after almost eight years, but not as much as I did at first.

"That's great." He grinned and the seriousness evaporated from his face. "We have half-an-hour to kill before nine. What do you say to playing hide and seek?"

My mouth dropped open. "Dad! You aren't serious!"

"Ah, but you didn't let me finish. Hide and seek... in the _dark_."

I smiled a little. "Okay. Outside?"

"It's really the only place."

Dad and I grabbed two flashlights each, then bundled up and headed to the backyard, which was fenced in. We spent that last half hour running around and trying to find each other. Once, Dad turned off his flashlight and snuck up on me from behind. I nearly had a heart attack.

Just before nine, Dad signaled for us to stop and get back inside. Mom was waiting for us in the kitchen.

"I saw your flashlight beams waving around from my window," she said. "So I decided to make you some hot chocolate, since I figured it must be freezing out there." She pushed two mugs over to us, and Dad and I sat on the stools at the counter.

"Nellie called while you were outside. She said she'll be back in twenty minutes. You can wait up for her, if you want." Mom offered.

I shook my head. "Tell her I was tired, and yes, I completed my homework." I drained my mug, then walked around to put it in the sink.

"Will do. Good night, Dan," Mom said.

"God night," Dad repeated. He held his fist out, like what Shep did back in Australia. I bumped knuckles with him, and briefly I wondered if Dad and Shep did that as kids. Family, I thought as I headed upstairs.

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><p><strong>Another one done! This was my first chapter that stayed in one person's POV throughout. <strong>

**If you're wondering about the My Little Pony thing, that show is creepily addictive. My dad watches it with my little sisters all the time, and he agrees. Lots of grown men like the show. I Googled it. And The Giver thing, yeah, you guessed it, we're currently reading it in 7th grade too (but I finished. The class as a whole is still on chapter 8, though).**

**And the almost drowning story. Yep, based off me, although I switched around a lot of stuff. The Jimmy Kimmel Live stuff is real too. It happened pretty recently. Look them up on YouTube.**

**I want at least 5 reviews before I update. Bye! **


	7. The Incident

** Hmph. I am mad you didn't review. But because I'm nice I updated. I know this story probably isn't interesting enough, but I can almost guarantee that it now is.**

**Me: I don't feel like dealing with you today. I didn't get the amount of reviews I wanted.**

**Dan: Oh well. Just suck it up and do the disclaimer.**

**Me: If it will get you to shut up... AgentCherry-Garcia212 owns nothing but the plot. Satisfied?**

**Dan: Yes.**

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><p>Amy's POV<p>

I woke to someone shaking my shoulder and shouting in my ear.

"Amy!" Dan said. "Get up! Jeez, you are going to be late!" He paused, then said, "Okay, that was scary. For a moment there, I think your true spirit jacked my mind." I opened my eyes and saw Dan crouching over me, still in his pajamas and his hair rumpled.

I stuck my tongue out at him, then looked around. I realized I was downstairs in the living room, on the couch. "What am I doing here?" I put my hand to my head. I realized I had a dull ache in the back of head.

Dan rolled his eyes. "You passed out last night. You missed out on pizza."

"Since I'm not you, that isn't exactly a terrible loss." I threw the quilt off of me and swung my legs over. "What time is it?" I asked him.

"When Nellie made me come down here to get you, it was like, 6 A.M. You know how unfair that is? I don't have to get up till 6:40 and here I am, awake nearly an hour before I have to be, 'cause you decided to be lazy and go to sleep." Dan flopped down on the other couch and looked over at me. "You should probably go take your shower."

"I _know_ that." I snapped. "But what do you care?"

Dan shrugged and turned on the TV. "Two reasons. A, I'm about to watch _'The Amazing World of Gumball' _and I'm pretty sure you hate that show. 2, you have like, 40 minutes to get ready when it usually takes you an hour. And, cuatro, you probably still have sweat reeking on your body from yesterday, and I'm pretty sure sleeping on it just made it worse." He smirked at me as my eyes widened.

"Oh my gosh, you're right!" I jumped off the couch and dashed upstairs.

*Page Break*

I was in history class, trying really hard to pay attention. I mean, I like school, but the way Mrs. Spier drones on and on like even _she_ doesn't care about what she saying, so that just makes it harder for the rest of _us_ to care. And considering how I've already learned nearly everything about the African Apartheid on the Clue Hunt anyway, that didn't make the lesson any more interesting.

"Psst," someone whispered from behind me. Sunny. I ignored her.

"_Psst! Amy!_" That was Charlotte, who was sitting next to me. I ignored her too, till she reached over and punched me.

"Ow! What?" I snapped. We were sitting in the third to last row, with Sunny in the second to last. The dull ache had changed to a real headache, so I was not in a great mood.

"Is it your day to take notes, or mine? Sunny says she knows it's not hers, but she not sure who's," Charlotte whispered. Mrs. Spier continued talking and writing on the board. She hardly ever turns around in the middle of the lesson, so as long as we stay quiet enough, we can get away with just about anything. Most of the boys either go right to sleep in the back, or throw this paper ball they named 'Turdy' to each other. The more popular girls just set their phones on silent and text, and the rest pass notes or talk. Not even the scholars-in-training take notes. They just make sure they know what the lesson plan is, then Google it that night like most of the class.

"Your day," I muttered. We have a system. One of takes notes then shares them with the rest at lunch.

"Durn," Charlotte said. She doesn't say 'darn' right, for some reason. She's said it like that since second grade, which was when I met her (thankfully, she'd never met my parents, since we weren't really friends till Sunny came along. Just in that halfway way little kids are).

"Someone shoot me," I heard Sunny mutter and I snorted. I turned to look at her and saw she'd put her head down. She'd spread her hair out all over the desk, so that it was spilling over her head at all angles and hanging over the edge.

Finally, the bell rang, and the three of us where out of there in seconds. Charlotte already had her lunch bag, so we went straight to the cafeteria.

"I'm going through the lunch line today, since I forgot to pack a drink," Charlotte told us. "I also have a track meet tomorrow afternoon, so I'll eat with the team the last ten minutes of lunch." I just sort of nodded.

After Sunny and I had ordered, and Charlotte got her VitaminWater, we headed to our usual table. Once we were nearly there, I sort of stumbled and dropped my lunch. Sunny grabbed my arm, nearly losing her lunch as well.

"Walk much?" she asked as she helped me regain my balance. "You'll have to go through the line again." By now, we'd reached our table, and Sunny put her tray down. I put my hand to my forehead and closed my eyes for a second. A wave of nausea passed over me.

"Amy?" Charlotte asked. "Are you okay?" I opened my eyes. She was standing in front of me, her eyes boring into mine.

"Hmm? Yeah, I'm fine," I answered, but I wasn't. The headache from earlier was now literally throbbing. I felt like my mind had a pulse. I straightened and nodded, but that just made me wince. "Yep. Fine."

Now Sunny was peering closely at me. "You sure? You don't look so hot."

"I'm fine," I repeated. "I'll just got get another lunch."

"We'll go with you," Charlotte said, and elbowed Sunny, who nodded.

Halfway back to the lunch line, a cold sweat passed over me and my vision blurred. My knees buckled and I collapsed. There was an awful- no, almost blinding- pain as my head hit the floor. I was aware of Sunny screaming and Charlotte shouting, as I fought conscientiousness, but I couldn't make out any words.

Then I blacked out.

* * *

><p>Hope's POV<p>

I put down the phone, my hand over my mouth and my eyes closed. I just stood there for a moment, trying to process what I'd just learned.

"Arthur!" I shouted. He came downstairs.

"Yeah?" he asked. I suppose I must have had a pretty startled look on my face, because he asked, "What happened." It wasn't even a question, more like a direct statement.

"Amy's in the hospital," I said. I walked over to the couch and sat down, dazed. "Nellie just called me. Fiske must be in a meeting, because the school and hospital have been trying to reach him for more than an hour. Amy's been unconscious for all that time. Nellie just got out of class, so she just got the call. She's going there right now to fill out the paperwork." Each word sounded like a block hitting the floor, a solid fact, even to my own ears.

"Oh, Hope," Arthur said. he sat down next to me and took one of my hands. "What's wrong with her?"

"They don't know." _Thud, Thud_. _Thud._ "According to Charlotte and Sunny, the only two people who saw it, she just collapsed. She hit her head hard, so along with whatever's wrong, she may even have a concussion."

"Is there anything we can do?" he asked, squeezing my hand. He had a worried expression on his face, the opposite of the blank mask I was sure I was wearing.

"Nellie needs us to pick up Dan from school. She already called them to tell them who's picking him up. She said the address is on the orange flyer taped to the fridge." Arthur got up and went to the kitchen, then came back with the flyer and car keys.

"Let's go," was all he said.

* * *

><p><strong>You guys should be glad I decided to update. I still didn't get the required amount of reviews I asked for, but I got the idea for this and decided to be nice and share it. But now I want seven to replace the two I didn't get before. So you may wanna review if you want to know what happened to Amy.<strong>


	8. What's Wrong

**I'm back and here again! No, Amy is not dead, but you'll have to read if you wanna know if she's got cancer or a brain aneurysm. And the reason I demand reviews is because I'm juggling two fics, and I don't see a point in that if people can't even take the time to review. Disclaimer time!**

**Dan: I hate you.**

**Me: I love you too, character I do not own.**

**Dan: You don't own anything else either, do you?**

**Me: ... I own the plot.**

* * *

><p>Dan's POV<p>

I was in Algebra 1, trying to make sure my brain didn't fall out of my head from lack of use. I was just bored. Mr. Williams is my favorite teacher (and believe me, he doesn't have much competition), but we were taking a stupid test that I had finished ages ago.

"Mr. Williams?" That was the intercom lady's voice, and for a moment I hoped it was for me, even if it was for in-school suspension for something I didn't have anything (okay, _much_) to do in.

Mr. Williams looked up from his laptop. "He's not here today," he called. "This is a substitute." See? It's things like this that makes him my favorite teacher.

The intercom lady paused, then went on as if he had never spoken. "Do you have Daniel Cahill?"

"Oooohhh, oooohhhh," the class said, like a bunch of kindergartners, in my opinion.

Mr. Williams ignored the class and went on with his sub act. "Blond? Bit small? A kind of troublemaker air to him?" he asked.

"Yes, that's him," Intercom Lady answered.

"Oh, well he's not in here."

"Send him down to the office for early dismissal, please," Intercom Lady said, ignoring his comment.

"... I've known my fair share of twelve-year-olds, so... I can't promise anything." Mr. Williams replied. When the intercom lady didn't answer, he turned to me. "Dan, you know what to do. Good-bye, never come back again, I hate my job, blah, blah, blah. Same goes for the rest of you brats."

I grinned as I packed up my stuff. "I hate you too, Mr. Williams."

"I hope you got a good grade on this test," he went on. "It makes me feel like you kids are actually learning something. Maybe the next generation isn't so doomed after all... at least till ants figure out how to take over the world at least. But alas, that's a lesson you'll learn in Ms. Guthrie's class."

*Page Break*

When I got down to the office with all my stuff, I can't say I was expecting what I saw. Mom and Dad were standing outside of it, waiting.

"We can just go, Dan," Dad said to me. "We already signed you out." Mom didn't say anything. She seemed to be in sort of a daze.

When we got to their car, I got in the backseat. Dad climbed in shot-gun and Mom was driving. I personally didn't think it was a smart decision to let someone who seemed do blank, but I figured they knew what we were doing.

"Why did you pick me up early, anyway?" I asked as I put on my seatbelt. Mom went right on gripping the steering wheel and staring ahead. Dad turned around to face me. He looked kind of concerned, and took a deep breath.

"Amy's-" he paused. "Amy's sick. She's in the hospital." I just stared at him for a moment.

"Why?" I asked after I got my voice back. "Is she okay?"

Dad glanced at Mom like he wanted her help, but her eyes were still locked on the road as if world peace depended on it. He turned back to me.

"Why she's there, they aren't sure yet. Nellie's already there, filling out paperwork so they can start tests. As far as we know, the hospital is still trying to reach Fiske."

"Is she okay?" I repeated.

"They don't know. When she fainted-"

"She _fainted_?" I interrupted.

"-she hit her head hard. So she probably has a concussion in addition." Dad looked at me like he was waiting for my reaction.

"She'll be fine," I said, trying to sound confident. "She slammed her head against some rocks one and only got a slight concussion. The cafeteria floor is cake compared to that." I was leaving out the fainting part and I knew it. from the way Dad looked at me, I could tell he knew it too.

*Page Break*

Once we'd checked into the hospital and gotten to the correct floor, the first person I saw was Nellie. She was sitting at this little table, with a bunch of papers spread over it.

"Nellie!" I called, and ran to her. She looked up and grinned at me, but I could see worry on her face.

"Hey, Dan-o," she said. "I'm nearly done with this stuff. So they'll be able to start tests in the next five to ten minutes."

By then, Mom and Dad had found seat and had sat down. I just stood next to Nellie and looked over her shoulder.

Eventually, she finished. "Finally!" she said loudly. Then she looked around at the other people in the waiting room. "Sorry," she added. She went to the desk and talked to the receptionist for a moment. When she turned around, she was smiling.

"Guess what!" she said excitedly. "They got a hold of Fiske, and he's on his way!"

Okay, that was great news and all, but it wasn't what I wanted to hear. But apparently Nellie wasn't done yet.

"And," she continued. "Amy's only got a slight concussion, plus she's conscious!"

Nellie came over and swept me into a hug. I was grinning hugely and so were my parents. Then, something occurred to me.

"But what's wrong with her?" I asked. "Is she sick?"

"I don't know," Nellie admitted, and I felt her deflate a little. "But let's go see her!"

When we got to Amy's room, I was kind of surprised to see her sitting up in bed, looking perfectly fine, with one of those ice-wraps around her head. She looked a little tired, but not all weak and pale like I was expecting.

"Hi, guys," she said, trying to smile. But I could tell she was a little scared.

Nellie went over to Amy's bed and sat next to her. The rest of us crowded around. "They're going to start tests soon, Ames. Fiske should be here by then."

Amy nodded, but didn't look reassured.

"Amy, dear, do you feel alright?" Mom asked worriedly. Amy nodded, but before she could say anything, a nurse came in.

"Hello, I'm Robert," he said, smiling. "I'll be here for a while while Dr. Brewer prepares the test." Sydney looked at the rest of us. "Would you mind leaving? Just until the tests are done?" Nellie shook her head.

"No, that's fine," she replied. "I hope you're okay, Amy."

"I hope I am too," I heard Amy mutter as we left the room.

* * *

><p>Amy's POV<p>

Blood tests. Oh, joy.

They weren't as terrible as I anticipated, but still. I have every right to be in a bad mood. I just fainted, got a concussion, was poked and prodded, asked a ton of questions as they tried to figure out why I fainted, and got my blood tested. The past three hours were a whirlwind (fine, like a half hour of that I spent unconscious. Same difference).

After Dr. Brewer left the room with my blood samples to get them tested, Robert called my family back in. This time Uncle Fiske was among them.

"Hello, dear girl," he said brightly. I giggled; he only called me dear girl when he was trying to seem like a jolly grandfather. "How was your day?"

I told them about my day, up until now. I included everything. Or almost everything.

Just as I was finishing, Robert and Dr. Brewer entered. They looked a little concerned.

"Would you like your family in here while we tell you?" Dr. Brewer asked me gently. I nodded, my worry resurfacing. My family grew quiet.

"Well, the tests haven't conformed anything yet," Dr. Brewer started, "but there is an unusually high amount of glucose in Amy's blood. Blood sugar levels for fourteen-year-olds is usually anywhere between 90 and 139 milligrams, if they haven't eaten for a few hours. Amy's blood sugar level is 232 milligrams. Based off how she told us she felt the past few weeks and the past two days especially, we believe Amy has diabetes."

*Page Break*

I did not handle the news well.

At first, I acted all accepting of it. I'm a diabetic. Big deal. I mean, hundreds of kids get diagnosed with it every year, right?

They needed to test my blood again to be sure, so I would be spending the night in the hospital so I could have the required 8-hour fast. At first I thought they meant that I wouldn't be allowed to eat or drink for 8 hours starting right then. But they just meant that the fast would be while I was sleeping.

Just after they made the halfway-diagnosis, Dan asked Fiske if he could use his phone. When Fiske handed it over, Dan immediately Googled diabetes. Dan read aloud a lot of random facts. I believe my bad mood started when he stated that anything over 220 is unusual and the patient likely has a harder to control type.

"Hey, Amy," Dan said. "Did you know that the most common type of diabetes among younger people is Type 1? So you probably have that. You'll need detemir insulin, if you want long acting. You know, you've probably been diabetic for weeks and weeks before this happened."

"Thanks, Dan," I snapped sarcastically. "I really need this information coming from you."

Dan looked hurt, and I felt bad. At least until he brightened and said, "I don't blame you for saying that. It says right here that diabetics sometimes become tired and annoyed when they don't have enough food or insulin."

I glared at him. "Or maybe it's because they are extremely irritated with their pesky younger brothers."

Nellie sighed. "Amy, be nice."

"What the point?" I asked rudely. "For all I know, I could have a tumor in my pancreas. I may as well be mean before I die." I was acting like an over-dramatic brat and I knew it, but I didn't care.

"Amy, you don't have a tumor. We would probably know by now," Nellie said calmly.

"Unless it's a small one, just growing larger so it can kill me swiftly and effectively." I replied.

Before Nellie could answer that, Robert came in. "We've done some more testing on Amy's blood," he said. "She almost definitely has Type 1 diabetes-" Dan shot me an 'I-told-you-so' look. "-though we still have to do the official second test. There will likely be complications and you are being switched to the A&E- or Accidental and Emergency- ward in the morning."

* * *

><p><strong>Haha! Eighth chapter DONE! I liked how this one turned out. I had to do tons of research on diabetes, like the symptoms and treatments. Some of it might be a little inaccurate, but most came from legitimate medical sites. I'm not going to give Amy a pancreatic tumor, but don't expect her to get off easy, either. I want 6 reviews before I update!<strong>


	9. Hiatus

**Hey everyone. I just wanted to tell you that I'm putting this fic on temporary hiatus. I'm juggling two other fics right now, and I just can't handle it. I have writer's block on the next chapter (I've started it, but it's not really going anywhere), and since this is the least popular of all my stories, I'm going to let it go for awhile. I can probably take it back up in March or so. I really am sorry.**

**Special thanks to:**

**TsukiyoTenshi: Who stuck with me nearly the whole time and provided great ideas.**

**Giraffes4Ever: Who never wanted me to give it up (Sorry to you especially)**

**Luv the Legend: Who provided good critique and was my first reviewer.**

**I love you all!**


	10. New Friends, Possible Fiends

**Yeah, hey guys. I couldn't bear the thought of officially leaving this story, so I'll just do this for now; update, have y'all decide if you like it, make necessary changes, and possibly change chapter altogether. This is the one that wasn't going anywhere. This chapter has little to no plot, and that's why I didn't post it. But what the hey. Disclaimer!**

**Me: Still own nothing.**

**Dan: I hate you.**

**Me: Why?**

**Dan: You left for more than a ****_month_****!**

**Me: Sorry. I had stuff to do.**

**Dan: Ugh. Whatever.**

* * *

><p>Amy's POV<p>

After Robert left (after giving us a little more info about what I would be dealing with in the new ward), Dan turned to me and smirked. "What did I tell you?" he said triumphantly.

"Shut up," I snapped. "I could still have a tumor."

"You have a tumor?" a voice from the door asked. Sunny and Charlotte came into my room, stumbling over each other, each weighed down with a ton of stuff. My room was starting to get full, and Nellie, Fiske, and my parents were all sitting down on the chairs.

"You have cancer?" Charlotte asked, eyes wide with concern. She was holding a black satchel and a plastic bag.

"Nope," Dan said, popping the 'p'. "She's just pissed she got diagnosed with diabetes and her ever loving brother was trying to help by supplying her with facts."

Sunny eyed Dan suspiciously. "Something tells me that's not how it happened." She turned to me. "We were so scared when you fainted, Amy. it was like, one second you were... well, not fine, but okay. And the next, just bang, you were on the ground, unconscious."

"Hey, Amy," Nellie piped up. "While the girls give you a recap of what happened while you were MIA, I'm going down to find some food. Dan, wanna come?"

Dan shook his head. "I'll stay here."

Fiske stood up as well. "I'm going with Nellie. I have to make a few phone calls. Dan, my phone?" Dan tossed it to him, which he caught. He, Nellie, and my parents (who said they were going for food too) left, (after Nellie gave Dan her iPhone) just leaving the four of us.

"Anyway," Sunny continued. "When you fainted, the whole caf got quiet. Ms. Nelson rushed over and checked your pulse while one of the cafeteria ladies called 911. People were crowding around, but Charlotte shouted for them to back off."

"By the time the EMTs got there," Charlotte broke in. "Sunny was crying."

Sunny reddened. "I was not."

"Oh please, you could hardly breathe." Charlotte turned back to me. "One of them took us aside and started asking a ton of questions about what led up to your fainting. I was so freaked out. Don't you ever do that again to us, I'm serious."

I smiled. "I'm sorry guys."

"You should be," Sunny said. "Lottie ended up getting a headache, she was so stressed."

"That wasn't my fault," Charlotte protested. "It's like everything came down to me, since no one else saw anything and you weren't much help."

"We both ended up missing our next class," Sunny told me. "After Charlotte was able to leave the nurse's office, they made us eat lunch, since we were to busy getting interrogated by EMTs and crying and getting migraines to eat. But missing dumb math wasn't such a huge loss for me."

"Sunny still didn't eat anything," Charlotte interrupted.

"Neither did you," Sunny shot back. "Anyways, we were so worried that we went to Lottie's place, then my place, then we took the bus here, since my mom was here, Char's parents had a whatever going on, and Sonya***** was at cheer practice."

"We got you all five seasons of _The Big Bang Theory_ for, like, five bucks from the Redbox down the street from my place," Charlotte said, holding up the plastic bag. "You know the one outside Harris Teeter? Yeah, that one. And we collected both my and Sunny's DVDs for you, too. Not all of them of course, just a few key classics. I also brought my laptop, since, you know, DVDs are a little useless without something to watch them on. Sunny brought you her iPod too."

"Aw, thanks, you guys," I said. "You're the best."

Sunny screamed. "What?" Charlotte, Dan, and I yelled at the same. She turned to us.

"I just remembered-" she started.

"You screamed for _that_?" Dan interrupted. Sunny ignored him.

"In art, Evan Tolliver came up to me and asked if you were okay!" Sunny squealed. My mouth dropped open.

"Seriously?" I asked.

"Yes! I was in art class, trying to finish my essence painting, and Evan came up-"

"Who's Evan?" Dan asked. "Amy's boyfriend?" I could have kicked him, but I was too distracted by Sunny, who continued talking as if Dan had never spoken.

"-and said, and I quote 'Hey. Is Amy okay? She _is_ the one that fainted right? I couldn't see much since your other friend was yelling at everyone to keep away, and-'. then I interrupted him because he was rambling. I said that I wasn't sure. Then he got all deflated looking. But he seemed a little happier when I told him we were going to try and visit you after school. Then he gave me his number and told me to call him if you were okay!" Sunny grinned at me and pulled out a slip of paper. "Here it is. Would you like to do the honors?"

My eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, no! I can't call him! He barely knows me!"

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Well, he knows you enough to know your name, know what friend to approach, and give said friend his number so she can call you with your condition. That sounds like enough to me."

"I'll call him for you first," Sunny said, taking out her phone. She dialed the number and waited. Then, "Hello? Evan?"

Pause, then, "Evan, hi! It's Saylence Wilburt, from your art class. Listen, I'm at the hospital, and-" I guess Evan cut her off because she paused. Then, "Yeah, Evan, she's mostly okay. She's conscious, at least. You wanna talk to her? She right here." Pause. "Yeah, I'm sure she wants to... Okay, here she is." Sunny handed me the phone, grinning. I took it, and I won't say I wasn't a little nervous.

"Hello?" I said.

"Hi, Amy!" That was Evan. Oh my gosh, I was speaking to Evan Tolliver. I took a few deep breaths so I wouldn't start stuttering.

"Hey, Evan," I said.

"Are you okay?" he asked me. Oh my freak, he wants to know if I'm okay.

"Uh, yeah. I've got a slight concussion. I also might be diabetic-"

"Diabetic? Type 1 or Type 2?"

"They think I'm Type 1, but they haven't done the second test yet, so it's not official."

"Oh..." Evan paused. "Well, my cousin has diabetes and he says it's not too bad. Then again, I don't think he passed out. Plus, his isn't very bad. But I could get you his number if you, you know, wanna talk to someone who also has diabetes."

"That's okay," I said. "Robert, my nurse, said that they're moving me to a ward where they can adjust to my needs better. I'm supposed to room with another diabetic."

Evan paused. "Oh. Well, that's good." Then there was silence.

I took a deep breath. "Well, Evan, it was nice of you to want to check up on me. I'll see you when I get back to school."

"Oh. You're welcome. Bye." Was it just me, or did he sound a little disappointed?

"Bye, Evan." I pressed the end button, then closed my eyes. When I opened them again, Sunny was grinning down at me. We started screaming, while Charlotte rolled her eyes (but was still smiling), and Dan covered his ears.

*Page Break*

Well, it's official. I am a Type 1 diabetic.

My new nurse, Alyssa, had told me the results about twenty minutes ago. Then they packed up my stuff (Nellie had dropped off Dad and a suitcase on her way to an early University class at seven) and I was wheeled in (Alyssa wouldn't let me walk. She said it was because if I tripped, that was already a million-dollar lawsuit) to my new room.

It was nice, obviously designed for girls who would be staying awhile. The room was white, with pink decal stickers on the wall and multicolored quilts on the two beds (I'm willing too bet a lot of money that the quilts were just normal hospital blankets spruced up). Sitting on one of the beds was a girl maybe a little older than me.

The girl was writing in a journal and barely looked up. I couldn't see her face because her platinum and red highlighted dyed-black hair (the blond roots were clearly visible with her head down) was acting as a curtain.

"Samantha, this is your new roommate, Amy Cahill," Alyssa said, helping me out of the wheelchair. Now the girl looked up. I saw she was pretty, with a round face and wide eyes the color of faded denim, done up with dark glitter eyeshadow and black liner.

"'Sup," she said. "And my name is Sami. One M, one I, no _Antha._" She looked me over and I saw her shoot Alyssa a look that clearly said "You expect me to room with _her_?"

I looked down at my outfit, an oversize gray 'Be Sickle Smart' t-shirt and pastel striped pajama bottoms. Robert had woken me up at six, and Alyssa came to move me just after Nellie had left, maybe 7:10. I hadn't bothered changing out of my pajamas, since it was so early. But it's not like Sami was dressed for a day out, either. She had on a bright yellow t-shirt with a cartoon sun that was saying "Well, aren't you just a ray of %# $!* sunshine," and black shorts. But I did have an odd feeling that Sami and Nellie would get along great.

"Alyssa, where exactly should I put these?" Dad asked, coming into my room. He was holding my suitcase and the stuff Sunny and Charlotte brought. Alyssa pointed to a corner by the unoccupied bed. Dad dragged them over.

"Okay, girls!" Alyssa said brightly. "We're leaving-"

"We?" Dad asked.

"-But we'll be back in a while. Samantha, tell her the ground rules, please." Sami nodded, looking bored. "Good. Come on, Arthur. You can find something productive to do."

After they had left, I turned to Sami, who had gone back to her notebook. "Hi!" I said.

"Hey." She didn't look up. "Listen, let's just get this over with. I'm Sami Daren. I am sixteen and in eleventh grade at Riverside Academy. I'm in the drama department. I landed the role of Lady Macbeth in our amateur play and threw up onstage during rehearsal. After being taken to the nurse's office, I fainted, and was taken here. That was two days ago. What's your name again? Annie?"

"Amy," I told her. "I'm almost fifteen and in ninth grade at Susan B. Anthony High. I'm in the History Club and Odyssey of the Mind. I was at lunch when I passed out and got myself a mild concussion. That was yesterday." I sat on my bed.

Sami looked at me. "Are you one of those preps that wear nothing but Abercrombie and Hollister? Because if you are, we should just cut off this whole communication thing altogether. Preps and people like me usually don't mix where I come from. They call us hipster-goths."

I frowned. "You 'come from' the private school on the other side of town."

She shrugged. "Whatever. But I don't do preps."

This was going to be a long couple of days.

* * *

><p><strong>Here you go. I don't know when the next update will be, but I hope you'll be okay for another few weeks.<strong>

**I still love you guys!**


	11. Bill PIPA

_**This isn't an update but it's super important!**_ _**Everyone must read, whether or not you are a US citizen.**_

**There's this new bill called PIPA that some of you may have heard about. Stopping Internet piracy and all that. Been all over the news since October. But what you may not know is that if it's passed, they are going to go batshit crazy on the Internet. And some of the biggest impacted websites (other than free movie and music sites) are going to be FANFICTION, DEVIANT ART, and WATTPAD. Can you imagine that? They want to take away this all away from us!**

**There are TWO MILLION of us on Fanfiction and counting. The vast majority of us are Americans (or so I assume). Almost all of us are aspiring writers, or people who just do it for fun. Fanfiction, Deviant Art, and Wattpad are sites that allow people to express their passion to the world.**

** Admit it. Some of you love writing. You aren't sure if that's what you want to do when you grow up, but you do enjoy it. But maybe you're also a little embarrassed about it too. Before I discovered this place, only some of my closest friends are even allowed to read my works. SOME. But because of this, I'm a little more confident about it. When someone sees me working on it in class, I might say, "It's nothing, really." But I'm a _tad_ more likely to say, "Um, it's this thing I'm working on. Like, how I think The 39 Clues/Percy Jackson would or could be if it was continued or in an alternate universe." I've got three kids in my class who aren't a part of Fanfiction but are constantly asking if I've written the next chapter in my Mark of Athena fic yet.**

**But none of this would have happened if it weren't for Fanfiction. I'd still have notebooks and documents full of thing I've written but won't let anyone read. There's something about putting something you've written/drawn up for hundreds of strangers to see. You're not famous. You don't know them personally.**** They owe nothing to you.**** But they still LIKE it. If _they_ think it's good, well, it must be good. And that can do a lot for your confidence.**

**And that can be taken all away from you because a couple thousand idiots decided to download some song.**

**If you believe we can work together to kill this bill, add a message on the PIPA bill to the end of your fics. Even if you aren't an American citizen, you have to help us raise awareness to more Americans. The site will be taken from all of us, not just Americans. We have until January 24th!**

**If you are an American and want to stop this bill, go to this site:**

**.com/landing/takeaction/#utm_source=googlesem&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=signup  
>This is where you can sign a petition on stopping the bill. Just leave your name (I used my mom's), email, and zip code.<strong>

**Visit XxDarkxBloodxX's profile for more information, as well as the number of your state's senator. **

**We have got to stop this from happening!**


	12. Author's Note: Hey, I'm not dead!

**OH MY _GOD_, EVERYONE. I'M BACK.**

**I really didn't think I'd be gone so long, and I think I may have forgotten about this story. But every so often, I like to read over my fics and see if I can improve on them. And I get to this one and I'm just like, "...OH MY GOD, SELF." Because as you guys probably know, I effectively abandoned one of my most original fics.**

**And I can see why. Anyone who has read any of my Percy Jackson fics know that my writing has matured a bit. In my opinion, I write much better in third person than I do in first. So I think that might have something to do with how I left this for grabs.**

**But I'm going to try and salvage this fic. I'm going to try and work with my established storyline and work with it. There's a chance I'll switch it to third-person, and the writing might sound radically different. But I'll try.**

**If I can't, it's gonna be official. This story will be put up for adoption. If I can't finish it, someone else will have the talent to. I'm giving myself a month to make up my mind.**

**This isn't good-bye, my friends. But I won't lie. Farewell might very well be coming soon.**

**Signed, AgentCherry-Garcia.**


	13. Author's Note: My Decision Has Been Made

**Hey, my wondrous Cahill-crazy babes, guess who's back and has made her decision? That's right, this chick. You want the answer? Too bad, you'll have to read through this brief monologue first.**

**So, I've been thinking about this decision for quite some time now. As I said in my last Author's Note, I was considering discontinuing this fic after I realized I had abandoned it, because I didn't think I could pull it off. So the last three weeks or so was spent arguing with myself as I scrambled around getting ready for the new school year and trying to finish the latest chapter for my other fic. Some days were spent going "No, I can't continue," some, "I really should finish _What is a Family_, but not in a cheap way," but most were really just spent, "OH MY HECK, SCHOOL IS ABOUT TO START AND WHAT IF I DON'T HAVE ANY CLASSES OR LUNCH WITH MY FRIENDS AND HAVE TO SIT ALONE LIKE A LOSER. WHAT IF MY TEACHERS ARE ALL JERKS AND ASSIGN TOO MUCH HOMEWORK. WHAT IF THE THEATRE ARTS PRODUCTION IS STUPID OR WHAT IF IT IT'S AWESOME BUT I GET A SUCKY PART. WHAT IF I DON'T MAKE THE FIELD HOCKEY TEAM. WHAT IF... _ARGGGHHHHH_."**

**So... yes. But hey, school started, and I survived. My teachers are cool, I don't get _too_ much homework, (yet) the theatre arts production is awesome (Beauty and the Beast, and obviously I'm hoping to be cast as ... the witch, Poison Ivy! Whoo!), field hockey tryouts haven't happened yet, but the coaches think I'll make the cut again. But, alas, I only have have lunch with one of my friends, so that sucks. And said friend is only in one of my classes (science, where I have four other friends too) so that sucks worse. But whatever, enough about the personal anecdotes.**

**The point is... I am continuing! For sure! I'll try to update at least once a month (which is the most I can manage, what with another fic, school, sports, and theatre). But I hope that satisfies you guys! Next chapter will be a Dan one, probably for the whole thing. What will he discover about the night of the fire? And about his parents? Stay tuned, kiddies, because the answer is coming shortly (and when I say shortly, I mean in a week or so).**

**Good-bye my friends, and I can't wait till I'm back with an _ACTUAL CHAPTER_!**


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